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ment by routinely summering out on and it was a revelation. Ted success- B.C.’s Hornby Island and then moving fully got me to float for five minutes at Hermaneutics there altogether two years ago this a stretch; something I’ve never been spring. It’s always great to get togeth- able to do in fresh water. It’s the salt er with any of the brothers but all four in the water that does the trick, and A Fraternal Reunion in the Antipodes of us were starting to miss that spe- boy, can you ever taste it. I think it cial frisson – a sort of snapping into was my first acquisition of a major Herman Goodden place of all the necessary elements life skill since my wife taught me to empower a full electrical circuit- how to blow bubble gum bubbles DECADES ago I recognized ple times during the same day, I can ry of unadulterated Goodden-ness on our third or fourth date in 1970. that summer is the season I find most never go out into a freshly polarized that only occurs when all of us re- oppressive. Not wanting to be a year- landscape without thinking to myself, constellate in our original formation. Aside from koalas and platy- round whiner I made a sort of pact with “This really is one of the most beauti- puses and ‘roos, an absence of snow, the world that I’d restrict my meteoro- ful things that our world gets up to.” Accompanying us has been a plenitude of large, noisy birds logical grumbling to June through Au- Dave Dell, aka the Dell Dog, first an and palm and gum trees, and hav- gust and this hasn’t been a hard bar- So I’ve never wanted to flee a early childhood friend of third born ing its own distinctive architecture gain to keep. Not being a driver I’ve Canadian winter but this past month Bob, who, because the older three were largely defined by measures taken been able to maintain a child’s love of I have been doing just that when an born within 17 and then 14 months of to mitigate the glare of the sun, Aus- snow – the heavier the better, say I – opportunity arose to be with all three one another, was soon taken up as a tralia really is a lot like Canada. up to the present day. No matter how of my brothers in Australia – the first good friend of all of them. (In an act of inconvenient snow might be or how time we’ve all been together since regenerative mercy that our mother You have the British Empire boring it is to shovel the stuff multi- burying our father ten years ago. It greatly appreciated, I followed three influence at its almost simultane- was my oldest brother Dave who first and a half years later.) He’s always ous founding (place names feature threw a spanner into easy Goodden- been a sort of avuncular figure to me; the same mix of Empire and Abo- THE LONDON YODELLER reunion planning in 1969 riginal nomenclature), the struggle 232 Dundas Street by chasing his wife-to-be against overbearing American cul- London, Ontario N6A 1H3 Liz down to her home town ture (I sighed when the first thing I PUBLISHER: Bruce Monck of Melbourne after meeting spotted on Australian TV at the Syd- [email protected] her in Canada on the last ney airport was Ellen Degeneres) EDITOR: Herman Goodden leg of her own globe-trot- and the preponderance of settle- [email protected] ting trek. With or without ment taking place on the fringes GRAPHICS: Justin Warren Liz and/or daughter Kate in - along the American border with LayOUT: Kirtley Jarvis tow, Dave manages to make Canada, around the outer rim here. it up to Canada every three CONTRIBUTORS: Paula Adamick / Mary Lou Ambrogio or four years and unfail- Early last week we rented a Vanessa Brown / Vince Cherniak ingly extends his invitation van for a four day tour of the south- Dave Clarke / Jeff Culbert to each of us to come out to eastern island-state of Tasmania - Jason Dickson / Bonnie Goodden the other side of the world. the most wooded and mountainous Jeremy Hobbs / Chuck Knor Deanne Kondrat /Jayson McDonald and temperate (its closer proximity Fancy Pants / Bob Pegg Our parents made to Antarctica shaves a few degrees Sean Twist / Barry Wells the gruelling, international off the blistering daily highs) of all dateline-crossing trek in eight Australian states and territo- ADVERTISING & MARKETING Vanessa Brown 1980 to see their then- five ries. On our second night we lucked [email protected] year-old (and only) grand- into a beautiful inn on a steep hill- child in her natural habi- 519-914-1860 side in Bicheno with a heart-stop- tat. Crossing that dateline ping view of the ocean and noctur- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR lends a decidedly Twilight The brothers Goodden en route to the Museum of Old and [email protected] nal visits from a herd of kangaroos. Zone aspect to Canada/ New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania The London Yodeller is Australia treks. My airline published bi-weekly. The next morning I dropped Next issue: March 27, 2014 itinerary says that it took two days to one of the few of my brothers’ friends into the manager’s office to pick up Printed in London, Ontario, Canada fly from Toronto to Melbourne and who never gave me a hard time and some email with his wi-fi and walk- © 2014 will take no days whatsoever – in fact would even put up with me if I wanted ing me back down to our van, he I gain a couple hours - to fly from Mel- to sit in with them. Being practical and said he’d never hosted an expedi- bourne to British Columbia where I’ll technically competent in a way that tion like ours before. “I think a lot of FRONT COVER: OLENKA ARTWORK: JUSTIN WARREN stay for another four days with my Gooddens sadly are not, Swamper people would like the idea of doing eldest daughter and her family before Dan (he also has more nicknames what you’re doing but then they’d returning to London where I hear that than should be allowable; I’m spar- have to ask themselves, ‘Could I re- winter is hanging on with a venge- ing you at least two others) has been ally stick it with my family for three ance just for me. Sorry about that. indispensable to our entire Australian or four weeks?’ You fellas really seem mission – helping to book our flights, to get along. You’re lucky that way.” My other two older brothers ensuring that we meet them, present- Indeed we are. and I were able to resist Australia’s ing us with agendas each morning for call so long as all three of us resided the day ahead and photographically in London and Dave was prepared chronicling the entire adventure. to schlep his way up to us every few years. But then Ted, the second-born, I had my first real swim in an started messing with that arrange- ocean on our first Wednesday here 2 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 travel 02 HERMANEUTICS Herman Goodden — In Australia politics 04 YODELLING IN THE CANYON Barry Wells — Joe Fontana’s political non-future 05 DAPPLED THINGS Paula Adamick — Uked 06 POLITICAL HEAT Mary Lou Ambrogio — Civil servant entitlement 18 THE YODELLER INTERVIEW MUSIC AWARDS Mary Lou Ambrogio talks to Kathy Shaidle 2004 - 2014 music 10 BAND REVIEW TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY Deanna Kondrat interviews The Honeyrunners 11 THEN PLAY ON Dave Clarke — The London music scene 12 MUSIC INTERVIEW Bonnie Goodden with Vanessa Brown — Olenka visual art 15 LOOK AT THIS 7PM Sunday, April 13 2014 Vincent Cherniak — Dutch Landscapes at the McIntosh AT THE LONDON MUSIC HALL theatre 08 THEATRE SPACE Free admission Jeff Culbert — Peter Desbarats as playwright 14 SKIN DEEP www.jrma.ca Vanessa Brown on Skin Deep film 09 PEGG’S WORLD Bob Pegg — Peabody and Sherman CELERBRATING MUSICAL EXCELLENCE IN LONDON 16 CINEPHILIA Jeremy Hobbs — The Matthew McConaissance 17 SOUNDS RAZOR Sean Twist — Film Voir books 07 SO WHAT NOW? Jayson McDonald — The Twilight Tomes 20 BOOK REVIEW Ian Hunter reviews Michael Ignatieff’s Fire and Ashes 21 BOOK CULTURE Jason Dickson interviews Monica S. Kuebler et cetera 22 FASHION Deanna Kondrat — Weezi’s move 23 RED HEADED SNIPPET Vanessa Brown — Roller Derby Needs Room to Grow 13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 3 shyster friend in need is a friend indeed" and "A yodelling in the canyon sham charity begins at home." As a result, in my view at least, our mayor-chief The Ides of March herald the future for magistrate's goose is likely cooked, noting Fontana defeated his predecessor, Anne Marie Gondola Joe Fontana DeCicco-Best, by only 2,537 votes on Oct. 25, Barry Wells 2010. Simply put, JoFo's chances of re-election, with such a shaky mandate to begin with, are slim to none and Slim Pickins left town. a system of cable cars strung high above the scenic Thames ELECTION ROSTER: At press time, there's River. 45 registered candidates for London's municipal “It came to me that one of the election, six for the mayor's swivel chair and 39 most beautiful things we could for London's 14 wards. No one has registered for do is to put a gondola over- the lower-profile school board trustee positions, head of our river as it con- although that will change in the months ahead nects SoHo and the Forks of when people discover the pay's not too shabby the Thames, especially when (about $17,000 annually), with one-tenth the me- we’re going to have cafés, dia scrutiny or hassle of council members.